Oviedo, Winter Springs Politicians Face Review

State Officials Will Consider Cases Against An Ex-mayor And A Former Commission Candidate.

April 2, 1997|By Robert Perez of The Sentinel Staff

The Florida Elections Commission will consider cases against a former Oviedo mayor and a former Winter Springs commission candidate Friday in Tampa.

The commission will decide whether David Knickerbocker, who served as Oviedo mayor from 1991 to 1993, violated state election laws last year in a mailing about Seminole County Property Appraiser Bill Suber.

The commission also will consider fines against Moti Khemlani stemming from campaign finance law violations. Khemlani lost a 1994 bid for the Winter Springs commission to John Langelotti.

The Knickerbocker case involves a letter mailed to Seminole County Republican women days before the Sept. 3, 1996, primary race.

The one-page letter from Suber's ex-wife, Joyce, accused Suber of beating and choking her on numerous occasions. There are no police or medical reports to support the abuse charges.

Suber has strongly denied the charges and said the letter was mailed on the eve of the election to help his opponent, Ben Tucker, a close friend of Knickerbocker's.

Suber defeated Tucker in the race.

Knickerbocker, who has acknowledged paying for the mailing, said the letter was an exercise in free speech, not a political advertisement, and therefore isn't covered by election laws.

If the commission finds probable cause that a violation occurred, Knickerbocker can ask for a hearing or he can accept the finding. In either case, if the violations are upheld, the board would meet again to impose sanctions.

This is not the first time Knickerbocker has run into problems with state laws. While serving as Oviedo mayor, he violated state ethics law when he tried to use inside information for personal gain in a real-estate transaction.

He was fined $4,000 by the ethics commission and was publicly censured.

The case against Khemlani stems from inconsistencies in campaign finance reports in the 1994 election. The elections commission concluded in August 1996 that Khemlani showed ''a reckless disregard'' for state election laws because he should have known that his campaign treasurer's report was ''incomplete, and that campaign expenses were incurred without sufficient funds available.''

The order under consideration would levy a $4,000 fine for four elections law violations.